I love the idea of little mini frittatas that are a whole-breakfast serving size, and back in 2010 I made some in a crockery muffin pan designed to make four large muffins. But although the original version of these mini frittatas were delicious, they were never a huge hit on the blog, and I always thought they could be improved even though I never got back to it until now. Then recently I remembered the Williams Sonoma Tart Pan I’m so infatuated with and thought about how perfect that pan would be for these Low Carb Baked Mini-Frittatas with Broccoli and Three Cheeses. (And the pan is on sale right now, and no, William Sonoma is not paying me anything to advertise it!)

So I just had to try again on this recipe for a better result, and wow, was it ever a winner. If you’re familiar with my recipes for egg muffins or cottage cheese and egg breakfast muffins, I want to tell you how these mini frittatas are different from those baked breakfast dishes. The obvious difference is that it only takes one mini frittata for a serving, and they’re eaten with a fork. But there are also differences in texture. The mini frittatas have more veggies and cheese than they do egg compared to the egg muffins, which gives them a slightly denser texture and lots of flavor. And yes, technically frittatas are cooked in a pan on the stove and then browned in the oven, but I still think the name mini frittata is perfect for this type of dish.

I tested out the new-and-improved version of Low-Carb Baked Mini Frittatas with Broccoli and Three Cheeses with Jake at the end of a long cooking day when we weren’t really very hungry, and we still gobbled them up! Of course if you don’t want to buy a fancy tart pan, these can certainly be made in large silicone baking cups, a regular large muffin pan, or any kind of individual large ramekins or little tart pans and they might be just slightly different sized than the ones I made. But if you do decide you want the pan (which I love, love, love) look after the recipe for more ideas of what to make in it!

Preheat oven to 375F and spray the Williams Sonoma Tart Pan (or whatever baking container you’re using) with non-stick spray. Chop enough broccoli to make 2 1/2 cups, then microwave on high 1-2 minutes, or just until it’s barely starting to cook. Divide broccoli among the tart wells and top with cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Put the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh colander and rinse with cold water, then let it drain.

While cottage cheese drains, beat the eggs with Spike seasoning (if using), and a little fresh ground pepper. Mix the cottage cheese with the eggs and pour it into the tart wells, dividing evenly among the 6 of them. Then use a fork and gently “stir” so the broccoli-cheese-egg-cottage cheese mixture is well combined. Bake 30 minutes, or until mini-frittatas are set and starting to brown. (They will puff up a bit when they cook and settle down a little as they cool.)

Serve hot, with sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce to add at the table if desired.

Directions:

Cut broccoli into small, bite-sized flowerets. (If you cut through the broccoli stem and then pull the floweret part apart, you can avoid the mess from broccoli “crumbs” on the cutting board.)

Put broccoli into a bowl or large measuring cup, cover with cling wrap, and microwave on high for about 1-2 minutes, or until broccoli just starts to cook. Divide broccoli among the tart wells. Put a generous pinch of cheddar cheese on top of the broccoli, then add coarsely-grated Parmesan on top of the cheddar.

Put the cottage cheese into a fine-mesh colander, rinse with cold water, and let drain. Break eggs into a glass measuring cup with a pour spout, and beat with a fork until egg yolks and whites are combined. Add drained cottage cheese, Spike seasoning or other seasoning, and black pepper, and stir to combine.

Pour egg mixture over broccoli and cheese, dividing the eggs evenly among the tart wells. Stir gently with the fork so ingredients are evenly distributed.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until eggs are firm and frittatas are starting to get slightly browned on top. Serve hot, topped with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce if desired.

Frittatas can be kept in the fridge for several days and microwaved to reheat. Don’t microwave for more than about a minute or the eggs will get rubbery.

Notes:

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
These Low-Carb Baked Mini Frittatas with Broccoli and Three Cheeses would be great for low-carb, Keto, or low-glycemic diet plans. If made with low-fat cheese and low-fat cottage cheese, they would make a great breakfast for any phase of the South Beach Diet.

Nutritional Information?
If you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into this nutrition analyzer, which will calculate it for you. Or if you’re a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More than a year ago I switched my site to WordPress, which created the need to edit by hand to add more than 2,000 recipes to the preferred format for google. I have been working on that (with three assistants) for more than a year, so there is no possibility of me being able to calculate nutritional information until that project is completed. And I know that once I start doing nutrition info on one recipe people will expect to see it on every recipe, which is why I have decided to keep these two projects completely separate.

If you look after the recipe itself, I give two links (where it says “Nutritional Information”) for suggestions of two ways to get that information. That’s all I am able to do at this time.

This comment came to my e-mail but don't see it here: Hi there! I am not a fan of cottage cheese. How does that taste come out in this recipe? Any substitutions you can suggest? Thank you!

In case that person comes back, I don't think you can taste the cottage cheese at all, but it adds protein and more creaminess. You could use some goat cheese or even softened cream cheese (a smaller amount).

I simply hate anything with cottage cheese, but want to try these, so I am going to pick up some ricotta or goat cheese or cream cheese. I love the idea of making them and keeping in the fridge. I've just started a serious low carb diet so I can lose some weight, and it is really difficult to find a low carb snack or lunch for 1 when my hubby is not at home. This should be perfect! Thanks. Sharon

Oh sorry that was not clear! Ross is a discount store, similar to TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Gordmans, where they sell close-out items sourced from other places. They don't have consistent merchandise, so they may never have this again. You might try googling the description?

hi kalyn, ooo i adore the frittata dish….i made your recipe…only…i had no broccoli…but instead i used thinly sliced deli ham…and put that into the bottom…then topped that with some spinach strips…thinly julienne strips of baby spinach with stems cut off…then added three cheese blend grated cheese…and i only used 4 eggs…and 1/2 cup large curd cottage cheese…mixed as you suggested…with a dash salt pepper and some nutmeg…poured it all over the top…then added the parmesan cheese on top, and omg…..they were so delicious!!!! my hubby just loved them!! this is truly going to help me on my diet to have rady made frittatas for breakfast. i hope i can find another baking dish at ross's….oh i need annother one! thanks so much…i am new to your blog and LOVE IT!!! i have sent your link to many friends already!! thanks for the great work!! susan

thanks SOooo much for the recipe and the heads up on where to find the adorable ceramic frittata dish…so i hopped into the car right away and was super lucky to find ONE at ross's 2nite…i wanted 2 of them, but am happy for at least 1!! now tomorrow i will be a happy baker in the kitchen! thanks ever so much

I've goggled them Kalyn, and so far no luck, so you would have been lucky to take them all. Ross is so iffy – there one day and never to be seen again. But I am going to go there today just in case. I'll let you know!!

Kalyn, just now found your website!! Awesome stuff. I am getting ready to start phase 2 so all your tried and tested recipes will come in handy. I'm with the rest of the gals here — those muffin tins are awesome. I am on my way to Ross and maybe I will be so lucky, although I doubt it!! But thanks for this.

Nicole, you can freeze them, but I do have to tell you the quality is not as good as if you just store in the refrigerator and microwave. The frozen ones release water when they're thawed and also get rubbery much more quickly in the microwave.

You could definitely make enough on the weekend for a week and keep them in the fridge to eat all week.